Substituted quinoxalinones are known as anti-viral and inflammatory agents: see for example, Great Britain Pat. No. 1,394,170 (Derwent Agdoc. 33957U) or Belgian Pat. No. 818,784 (Derwent Agdoc 3871W). Quinoxalinones of biological interest are also described by Acheson in J. Chem. Soc., 4731 (1950). Substituted quinoxalines were suggested as anti-malarial compounds during World War II by the group working under the direction of F. H. S. Curd--see for example J. Chem. Soc., 1260 (1949). Cheeseman, J. Chem. Soc., 1804 (1955) has described quinoxalinones and quinoxalindiones without, however, describing any particular utility therefor. Pyrroloquinoxalines are known in the art, but a majority of these art references are to linear molecules; the three rings are in a line. For example, dodecahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline is mentioned in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 72, 2982 (1950); 2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]quinoxaline is mentioned in J. Ind. Chem. Soc., 40, 358 (1963); and 6H-pyrrolo[2,3-g]quinoxaline is described in Bio. Chem. J., 69, 59 (1958). Tetrahedron Letters, 1969, 1581, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 1968, 751 and Chem. Pharm. Bull., 1970, 2065 also mention other linear pyrroloquinoxalines. One reference describes fused pyrroloquinoxalines; U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,392 which discloses 3H-pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]quinoxaline-2-ones, useful as central nervous system depressants.
A pyrrolo[1,2,3-ef][1,5]benzodiazepine [named as a 1,4-diazepino(3,1-h,i)indole] was prepared by Maitlis, Proc. Chem. Soc. 1957, 354.